Your first 30 days
The first month sets the pace for everything that follows. Advizr engagements run on a fixed rhythm — week 0 is kickoff, weeks 1–3 ship your first systems, and weeks 4–8 move them into production — so by day 30 you should have at least one working system, a team partway through training, and a measured baseline for ROI. This guide walks through what happens each week and exactly what your side needs to do to keep that pace.
If you haven’t read How we work yet, start there — this guide is the client-side companion to that timeline.
How the month maps to the engagement
| Days | Phase | By the end, you have |
|---|---|---|
| 1–7 | Week 0 — kickoff and setup | Onboarding complete, workflows mapped, first sprint scoped |
| 8–21 | Weeks 1–3 — first systems ship | One or more working systems, education sessions underway |
| 22–30 | Week 4 — production begins | First system live on real work, baseline metrics recorded |
Production and handover continue through week 8, so day 30 is the start of the production stretch, not the finish line. The 2x ROI guarantee is measured over 90 days — the first 30 are about building the foundation that makes those numbers possible.
Days 1–7: kickoff and setup
Your first week has two jobs: give your Fractional Digital Engineer (FDE) the context they need, and meet them live to agree on the plan.
The five-step wizard takes about 15 minutes and can be paused and resumed. It collects your company details, first objective, key documents, and kickoff booking.
Write an objective with a number and a timeframe — “reduce manual data entry in invoicing by 50% within three months”, not “use AI more”. Setting objectives shows the pattern.
Start with documents that describe repeatable processes — SOPs, process maps, financial summaries. See the data preparation guide for formats and priorities.
A 30–45 minute call where your FDE reviews your objectives, asks clarifying questions about your documents, and explains what gets built in the first month. Afterward they send a summary and action items. The kickoff preparation guide covers how to arrive ready.
During week 0 your FDE also maps your workflows in detail, sets up infrastructure, and starts education planning — deciding who on your team learns what, and scheduling the first sessions.
Days 8–21: first systems ship
Sprint builds deliver working systems every one to two weeks, and education runs in parallel from the start — your team learns prompt engineering and workflow thinking on their own systems, not generic examples.
Your responsibilities in this stretch are small but non-negotiable:
- Respond to access requests quickly. Systems are built against your real data and tools; every day an access request sits unanswered is a day the build stalls.
- Protect two to four hours per week for each team member being trained. This is the standing commitment for the first eight weeks.
- Test deliverables on real work, fast. When your FDE ships a system, run it on actual cases within a day or two and report what breaks. Early feedback is cheap; late feedback is expensive.
- Review proposals promptly. When your FDE identifies a new opportunity, it arrives as a proposal for your approval — builds can’t start until you respond.
Days 22–30: production begins
Around week 4, your first systems move from “working” to “live in production” — handling real volume, with your team operating them. Two things matter most here:
- Record your baseline. Note what the process cost before automation — hours per week, error rates, turnaround time. This is the denominator for every ROI conversation, and Measuring ROI shows exactly what to track.
- Watch your runs. The Runs section shows every workflow execution. Check it a few times a week at first — Reading your dashboard explains what the numbers mean and when to act.
Training continues through week 8 until your people can operate and extend everything independently, and everything built is documented as it’s built.
What Advizr does and what you do
| What Advizr does | What you do |
|---|---|
| Maps your workflows and sets up infrastructure in week 0 | Complete the onboarding wizard and attend kickoff |
| Ships working systems in one-to-two-week sprints | Test each deliverable on real work within a day or two |
| Runs education sessions in parallel with the build | Protect 2–4 hours per week for team members being trained |
| Sends proposals when new opportunities surface | Review and approve (or push back on) proposals quickly |
| Documents every system as it’s built | Provide access to real data and tools when asked |
| Moves systems into production and monitors them | Record baseline metrics and check the Runs dashboard |
Milestones to hit by day 30
You’re on pace if, by the end of the month:
- Your onboarding wizard is fully complete and your first objective is on the Goals page
- At least one system has shipped and run against real data
- Your trained team members have attended their first education sessions
- You’ve recorded a baseline for the process being automated
- Your next check-in or coaching call is already booked in Book
If any of these are missing, raise it in Chat or book a check-in — the earlier a stall is named, the cheaper it is to fix.
Day-30 checklist
First 30 days — client checklist
Week 0 (days 1–7)
[ ] Complete the five-step onboarding wizard
[ ] Set one specific, measurable objective
[ ] Upload 2–3 key process documents
[ ] Attend the kickoff call and read the follow-up summary
[ ] Confirm who on the team gets the 2–4 hrs/week training commitment
Weeks 1–3 (days 8–21)
[ ] Grant all requested data and tool access
[ ] Test each shipped system on real work within 48 hours
[ ] Attend the first education sessions
[ ] Review and respond to any proposals
[ ] Complete the Academy "Getting started" checklist as a team
Week 4 (days 22–30)
[ ] Record baseline metrics (hours, errors, turnaround) for automated processes
[ ] Check the Runs dashboard at least twice a week
[ ] Book the next coaching or check-in call
[ ] List any friction or new opportunities to raise with your FDEKeep going
- Maximizing your retainer — what to do from week 5 onward
- Getting started checklist — the Academy’s first practical steps for your team
- How we measure ROI — the methodology behind the 90-day guarantee